GURGAON: Sunday turned into a nightmare for thousands of commuters travelling from Gurgaon to Delhi as a massive traffic jam at the Sirhaul border brought the Delhi-bound carriageway of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway to a virtual standstill. Vehicles remained stuck for hours, with long queues stretching from IFFCO Chowk to the border and motorists struggling to cover even a few hundred metres.The unprecedented congestion saw buses packed with passengers, cars, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles caught in a massive gridlock. Several buses carrying women passengers remained stranded for hours, while even bikers found little room to manoeuvre through the bumper-to-bumper traffic.The chaos unfolded amid heightened police deployment and vehicle-checking arrangements at the Delhi border ahead of the implementation of the national capital’s new vehicle restrictions from November 1 to curb air pollution. Multiple barricades were installed on the Gurgaon side, with police teams checking vehicle documents, registration details and emission compliance before allowing vehicles to proceed.The situation also coincided with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally at Ramlila Maidan, where the INDIA bloc was demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Several buses carrying rally supporters and displaying Rahul Gandhi’s posters were also caught in the congestion.A large police force, including several ACPs and traffic inspectors, was deployed near the Sirhaul border to manage the situation. However, extensive checking and barricading failed to prevent the congestion from escalating, while traffic moving from Delhi towards Gurgaon remained comparatively smooth.Satyapal Yadav, ACP (Highways), Gurgaon, said the checking drive was part of the police’s efforts to ensure compliance with Delhi’s new anti-pollution restrictions. He said motorists had been informed in advance and that the special campaign was intended to prevent violations.Meanwhile, Gurgaon Traffic Police had issued an advisory warning commuters about three temporary traffic blocks, each lasting 15-20 minutes, on NH-48 near Khandasa village on Sunday afternoon. The restrictions were planned to facilitate the replacement of a damaged conductor on a 66 kV transmission line crossing the highway. Motorists were advised to use the service road or Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and allow extra travel time.However, the massive congestion at Sirhaul left commuters questioning the traffic management arrangements on one of the busiest entry routes to the national capital, with thousands bearing the brunt of a Sunday traffic nightmare.
